Endoparásitos de la güiña Oncifelis guigna (Carnivora, Felidae) en

PARSITES OF KODKOD IN CHILE
REVISTA CHILENA DE HISTORIA NATURAL
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 83: 619-622, 2010
619
© Sociedad de Biología de Chile
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Endoparasites of the kodkod, Oncifelis guigna (Carnivora, Felidae)
in Chile
Endoparásitos de la güiña Oncifelis guigna (Carnivora, Felidae) en Chile
DANIEL GONZÁLEZ-ACUÑA 1, *, LUCILA MORENO1, KAREN ARDILES1, MARCELO FLORES 2,
MELANIE DUCLOS3 & MIKE KINSELLA4
1 Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción, Av. Vicente Méndez 595, Chillán, Chile
Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Valparaíso, casilla 5080, Reñaca, Viña del Mar, Chile
3 Escuela de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Viña del Mar, Agua Santa 7055, Sector Rodelillo, Viña del Mar, Chile
4 Helm West Laboratory, 2108 Hilda Avenue, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
*Corresponding author: danigonz@udec.cl
2
The kodkod, Oncifelis guigna o Felis guigna
(Molina 1782), is one of the smallest and least
known felids of the world. They are found in
southwest Argentina, and central and southern
Chile (Redford & Eisenberg 1992). Although it
is found from sea level to 1900 m in rainforest,
savanna, scrubs and mountains (Quintana et
al. 2000), O. guigna prefers forest habitats
connected by corridors containing free-ranging
domestic fowl (Sanderson et al. 2002), and
thicket-forest and dense bush cover far from
roads and close to large patches of native
forest, being almost exclusively restricted to
these types of habitats (Dunstone et al. 2002,
Acosta-Jamett & Simonetti 2004). The kodkod
is distributed in a total area of approximately
160000 km2 (33º-50º S and 70º-75º W), one of
the smallest geographic distributions known
for any felid, and therefore information that
can improve their conservation is of high
priority (Nowell & Jackson 1996).
Information on the endoparasites of
neotropical felids is scarce, especially from
Chile. In Argentina, Flueck & Jones (2006)
warned that kodkod could be a host for the
potential existence of a sylvatic cycle of Taenia
ovis krabbei Moniez in Patagonia. In Chile,
Wolfhügel (1949) reported Spirometra
mansonoides
Mueller
(named
as
Diphyllobothrium decipiens [Diesing]) in kodkod
from Valdivia forest. Alvarez (1963) found three
kodkod negative for echinococcosis, and Alvarez
et al. (1970) found two kodkod negative for
trichinellosis. Fernández & Villalva (1984)
examined one kodkod from Chaimavida (36°50’
S; 73°03’ W) and found the helminths: Uncinaria
stenocephala Railliet, Toxocara cati Shrank,
Taenia taeniaformis Batsch, S. mansonoides and
Taenia sp. Since the kodkod is known to be a
species in decline (Muñoz-Pedreros & Yañez
2000), the purpose of this study is to extend our
knowledge of helminth parasites in this
endangered wild feline.
We necropsied one specimen from San
Antonio (33°37’ S; 71°37’ W) and another from
Pemuco (36°59’ S; 71°58’ W), Chile. Both
kodkod were found run over on the highway.
Each kodkod was dissected and the organs
examined under a stereoscopic microscope for
endoparasites. In addition, 14 fecal samples
were examined from Laguna San Rafael
National Park (46°40’ S; 73°52’ W). Helminths
collected were preserved in 70 % ethanol and
studied in temporary mounts of lacto-phenol.
Skeletal muscle samples were also examined
for Trichinella larvae. Taxonomy for helminths
follows Sprent (1968) for Toxascaris leonina
(Von Linstow) and T. cati, Quentin (1970) and
Rojas & Digiani (2003) for Mastophorus muris
(Gmelin). Voucher specimens were deposited
at the United States National Parasite
Collection at Beltsville, Maryland, USA and the
collection of the Laboratory of Zoology of the
Faculty of Veterinary of the University of
Concepción.
The two kodkod necropsied were negative
for trichinellosis. Three species of helminths
representing 98 individuals were found.
T. leonina (Ascaridida, Ascarididae): a total
of 18 adult specimens were collected from the
620
GONZÁLEZ-ACUÑA
small intestine of the kodkod from San
Antonio. This ascaridid has been isolated in
many different wild and domestic felids of the
world (Torres et al. 1998), including Lynx
pardinus (Temminck) in Spain (Torres et al.
1998), Panthera tigris altaica Temminck and
Felis bengalensi euptilurus Kerr from Eastern
Siberia (González et al. 2007), and Panthera
onca Linnaeus in Bolivia (Beltrán-Saavedra et
al. 2009). In Chile, it has been reported in
domestic dogs and cats (Tagle 1966, López et
al. 2006) however the present report is the first
in wild animals.
T. cati (Ascaridida, Ascarididae): 72
specimens were collected from the small
intestine of the kodkod from Pemuco. This
ascarid is a cosmopolitan parasite of felids,
including domestic cats and wild felids in the
subfamilies Felinae and Pantherinae
(Anderson 2000). T. cati is commonly
encountered in felines in zoo collections
(Fowler & Theobald 1978, Garden et al. 1978).
This parasite has been reported in P. t. altaica,
from Eastern Siberia (González et al. 2007),
Panthera leo Linnaeus of Northern Tanzania
(Bjork et al. 2000), Panthera pardus sexicolor
Pocock in Iran (Esfandiari et al. 2010), P. onca
in Bolivia (Beltrán-Saavedra et al. 2009), Puma
concolor Linnaeus in Belize (Central America)
and North America (Patton et al. 1986, Rickard
& Foreyt 1992), Leopardus pardalis Linnaeus
in Bolivia (Fiorello et al. 2006), and Oncifelis
geoffroyi d’Orbigny et Gervais in central
Argentina (Beldomenico et al. 2005). It has
been reported in domestic animals in southern
Chile with a prevalence of 70 % (Torres et al.
1972a), and in populations from the Valdivia
river with a prevalence of 19 % and 65.1 % in
dogs and cats respectively (Torres et al. 1995),
besides in Santiago in 10 % of the cats (López
et al. 2006). It has been also detected in P.
concolor in Chile (Torres et al. 1972b).
There are two main paths of infection of T.
cati and T. leonina, either by direct
transmission or indirect involving a paratenic
host, usually rodents or earthworms
(Anderson 1992). We suspect that infection of
the kodkod occurs through the consumption of
rodents which are its principal food source
(Correa & Roa 2005).
M. muris (Spiruroidea, Spirocercidae,
Mastophorinae): 8 specimens of this spirurid
were found in one of the 14 fecal samples from
Laguna San Rafael. This is a cosmopolitan
nematode parasite of rodents (Prokopic &
Genov 1974, Zagicek 1987, Torres et al. 2001).
However, it has also been reported in
marsupials and carnivores (Baylis 1927, Smales
1995, Feliu et al. 1991, Torres et al. 1996, 1997,
1998, 2001). Smales (1995) postulated that M.
muris was introduced into the continents of
Australia, and North and South America with its
most common hosts, Rattus norvegicus
Linnaeus and Rattus rattus Linnaeus. Vicente et
al. (1997) reported M. muris in Rattus spp. in
different urban localities of Brazil. Rojas &
Digiani (2003) reported the first record of M.
muris from South America in a wild host, the
leaf-eared mouse (Graomys griseoflavus
[Waterhouse]), from Argentina.
In the National Park of Lago San Rafael,
kodkod are sympatric with other wild felids
such as puma, Geoffroy´s cat and the pampas
cat; various species of rodents (Oligoryzomys
longicaudatus [Bennett], Akodon olivaceus
Waterhouse, A. longipilis [Waterhouse],
Phyllotis darwini [Waterhouse], Geoxus
valdivianus [Philippi], Irenomys tarsalis
[Philippi]); and mustelids (Lutra provocax
[Thomas], L. feline [Molina], Conepatus
humboldtii Gray, Galictis cuja Molina, and the
introduced Mustela vison Schreber).
M. muris has an indirect life cycle, which
requires insects (mainly coleopterans) as
intermediate hosts (Quentin 1970, Anderson
1992, Rojas & Digiani 2003). Since the
principal diet of kodkod consists of rodents
(Housse 1953, Greer 1965, Correa & Roa
2005), it is common to speculate that the
nematodes were simply ingested when the
predator ate a rodent. However, since there
are so many records of this species from
various species of carnivores, it is more likely
that this is just a case of a nematode
developing in an abnormal host. This
represents the first report of the species in
Chile, and constitutes the first record of M.
muris in O. guigna.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Our thanks to José Luis Brito of the San Antonio
Museum and Carlos Benavente of the Servicio Agrícola
y Ganadero (SAG) Bulnes, for provide the corpses of
Kodkod, one of San Antonio and the other from
Pemuco respectively.
PARSITES OF KODKOD IN CHILE
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Recibido el 5 de agosto de 2010; aceptado el 22 de diciembre de 2010